Twitter Be Gone

Okay, I've tried this Twitter thingy, a fad popular amongst bloggers, for almost two weeks now. Honestly? It's a pretty useless widget; the site takes AGES to load, and it decreases MY site's loading time significantly. A fad's a fad ... everyone wants a piece of it, thus overloading the site. And when you DO update, it sometimes doesn't show! Useless lah, I say.

Anyhoos, I've removed it from the blog. For those who'd still want a piece of me on Twitter, you can check it out here. I may update, I may not. Chances are, I'll probably just let it die :p

What can I say? Twitter, you shan't be missed.

Congratulations, Dor!

Just heard great news from a very close friend of mine, Dor. She's expecting!! So happy to hear that. She's about six weeks along, but would be definitely be around for the wedding. Shucks. That's an expected angpow next year. Tee hee hee!

Anyways, I'm so happy for you girl. Congratulations!

I'm Home

Just got back from Japan. It was a real tiring trip, what with the packing and all. Pretty sentimental one too, since I don't know when my next trip to Japan would be. Still, it's good to be home.

Will post photos from the trip in my next few entries. Sakura just bloomed in Tokyo, so it was a real pretty sight. Stay tuned.

Off To Japan

Leaving for the land of the rising sun tomorrow. I'm almost done packing; well, there's only so little to pack anyways, since I'm practically bringing an empty bag there to pack my stuff home.

I will have little access to the Internet (yeah, isn't that shocking, being in the land of technology?!) for the next five days. Won't be updating my blog, but if possible, might drop in a line or two on Twitter, so stay tuned. I heard it's still pretty cold in Japan. Time to whip out the woolies!

Have a good weekend, folks.

Endless Love (The Myth)

When I first heard the song, I immediately fell in love with the music, especially the Korean bit (I'm not a fan of Korean songs nor movies, but it somehow fit into this song). After I watched the music video (I have not watched The Myth yet actually), I was like ... *siiiggghh*. Beautiful, just beautiful. The lyrics are especially sad, if you've watched the movie (I read the synopsis).

*sniff*

美麗的神話

成:
解开我最神秘的等待
星星坠落风在吹动
终于再将你拥入怀中
两颗心颤抖
相信我不变的真心
千年等待有我承诺
无论经过多少的寒冬我决不放手

(韩)金:
现在紧抓住我的手闭上眼睛
请你回想起过去我们恋爱的日子
我们是因为太爱
所以更使得我们痛苦
我们连"爱你"这句话都无法讲

成:
每一夜被心痛穿越
思念永没有终点
早习惯了孤独相随
我微笑面对
相信我我选择等待
再多苦痛也不闪躲
只有你的温柔能解救
无边的冷漠

(韩)金:
现在紧抓住我的手闭上眼睛
请你回想起过去我们恋爱的日子
我们是因为太爱
所以更使得我们痛苦
我们连"爱你"这句话都无法讲

合:
让爱成为你我心中
那永远盛开的花
穿越时空绝不低头
永不放弃的梦
我们是因为太爱
所以更使得我们痛苦
我们连"爱你"这句话都无法讲
让爱成为你我心中
那永远盛开的花
我们千万不要忘记我们的约定
唯有真爱追随你我
穿越无尽时空
我们连"爱你"这句话都无法讲

成:
爱是心中唯一不变美丽的神话
- Jackie Chan & Kim Hee Seon

Translation:
Release me from this mysterious waiting
The stars are falling; the wind is blowing.
Finally I can hold you in my arms.
Two hearts beating together.
Believe me that my heart is never-changing
Waiting a thousand years.
You have my promise.
Despite many bitter winters, I never let you go.

Close your eyes and tightly grab my hands.
Please recall the past - the days we were in love.
We loved each other too much,
It is sorrowful that we can't even say "I love you."

Every night my heart aches.
I never stopped thinking of you.
I am used to being alone for such a long time
And I face it with a smile.
Believe me, I choose to wait.
Even though it's painful, I won't leave.
Only your tenderness can save me from the endless cold.

Close your eyes and tightly grab my hands.
Please recall the past - the days we were in love.
We loved each other too much,
It is sorrowful that we can't even say "I love you."

Let love be a blossoming flower in our hearts.
We can pass through time, never bowing our heads,
And never giving up our dream.

We loved each other too much,
That is the source of our pain.
It is sorrowful that we can't even say "I love you."

Let love be a blossoming flower in our hearts.
We can pass through time, never bowing our heads,
And never giving up our dream.

We never forget our promise.
Only true love follows us as we pass through time.
We can't even say "I love you."

The love we have in our hearts is the only never-changing myth.

Click here to listen.
Click here to watch the movie excerpt.
Click here to watch the music video.

Running Errands

Told half a day off work today to run as many errands as I could before leaving for Japan this Sunday. Lots to do, lots to do.

First stop, the bank. Paid my monthly car installment. Sigh ... bloodsuckers (I'll always be sore about this; my bad for buying a brand new car instead of a second-hand one). Next, I went to the airport to buy pewter products for the Japanese folks I'm going to meet. It's funny eh, getting 'em from the airport since they normally overcharge customers. It was much later when I realised they charge at full price to tourists, but us locals get up to 35% discount. Yay for me. It was pretty siong buying pewter, but I figured I've got to make a lasting impression to my boss, trainer and friends in Japan, since it might be the last time I'm going to be there. What would Mum say? "Aiya, this kind of money, cannot be stingy one".

Also headed to Queensbay to get some costume jewellery and hair accessories for my Japanese girlfriends. I know that Japan stocks better accessories (although, they're not that much prettier though; we're definitely improving), but you'd be shocked at the prices. Also bought 'em Malaysian spices, tomyam paste, etc. Believe me, the ones I hung out with, they sure could handle spicy food.

Phew. That's all done, I s'pose. Now comes the hardest part. Packing. UGH.

Help, I Want Me Own Dot Com!

Paris just got her own dot com (congratulations, girl!). I'll be damned if my kiasu-ness doesn't kick in and tell me I want one too!

I've been dabbling with the idea of getting my own domain for quite some time now. I've been writing for close to two years now, and you know lah, having my own dot com sounds real 'terror'. I started writing sporadically due to work and personal commitments, but since I've been writing a lot more these days, the desire to have my own domain increased significantly.

Got in touch with Paris on how she got hers set up, and she's been real helpful, giving me tips here and there (thanks, girl!). Of course, I wouldn't mind for more help, so, calling all you techy experts out there, time for you to shine! An eager-beaver blogger is requesting for your help on setting up of own dot com. Pretty please! Got reward one ;)

Just drop me an email if you can. Muchas gracias in advance.

DVDs Anyone?

This could be one of the reasons I advocate an *ahem* not-so-legal form of entertainment.

Which reminds me, I better go exchange one of the DVDs I bought. My DVD player can't read the damn thing. #$@%.

Twitter

UPDATE: Argh. Didn't expect this Twitter thingy to be so slow. The site now takes a significantly longer time to load, and data from Twitter's almost always loading; you can't see the live update. Drats. Will leave it for a couple more days, and if it still doesn't work as I want it to, it's outta here. Ppl, do you mind giving me some feedback on this, if you do see anything on my Twitter box? Thanks!

I've just added Twitter to the sidebar; I've seen it in action for quite a bit now, and I thought I'd try one out too. It's kinda like a shoutbox thingy, which I can use to update y'all on my going-ons. Well, when it's too short/brief/meaningless/nonsensical to be an actual entry.

Anyhoos, yeah, do check it out.

My A-to-Z

Oooh, what a meme-filled month. Got tagged by Paris, and this time, it's an A-to-Z about yours truly. Oh well, lucky you, get to know a lil' more about me :p

[A is for age]: If you asked me this last year, I'd sock you one. But since I'm having a pretty good year so far, it's 26+ (no, NOT 27, 'cos my birthday's not here yet, so not counted).
[B is for booze of choice]: Long Island Iced Tea, and give it to me STIFF!
[C is for career]: A very practical (read: boring) one indeed - engineer *yawn*
[D is for your most dreaded]: Flying cockroaches. Euuww!!
[E is for essential item you use everyday]: Mobilephone. Can't imagine how I lived without it :p
[F is for favorite song at the moment]: Endless Love by Jackie Chan and Kim Hee Seon (I'll post it up sometime)
[G is for favorite games]: Risk (High-five, Paris! :P)
[H is for Hometown]: Home of the best char koay teow in town, Penang!
[I is for indulgence]: A 2-hour facial, a full-body massage, the whole spa works. Heavenly ... *sigh*
[J is for favorite flavor of juice]: Orange
[K is for kids]: None. Woot! :p
[L is for last hug from husband]: Bukan husband yet; Last hug from fiance was over a month ago *sigh*
[M is for years of marriage]: Not married yet
[N is for name of your crush]: Too many lah. Is Hugh Jackman counted?
[O is for overnight hospital stays]: There were a few when I was really young - high fever and stuff, nothing too serious, thank God.
[P is for phobias]: Long escalators scare the bejeezus out of me
[Q is for quote]: As quoted by Samantha in Sex and the City, "F**k me badly once, shame on you. F**k me badly twice, shame on me."
[R is for regret]: Not traveling out of the UK, even though I studied there for 3 years.
[S is for status, married or single]: Still single, hehe
[T is for time you wake up]: 6am during the weekdays, and 9am ++ during the weekend (I can't seem to sleep past that, as much as I'd want to)
[U is for underwear]: Black or commando's the way to go, baby ;)
[V is for vegetable you love]: Choy sum (aptly called the Flowering Chinese Cabbage)
[W is for worst habit]: I chew at the corners of my fingernails when I'm nervous. When it bleeds, you know that it's something really major.
[X is for x-rays you’ve had]: One of my chest (to go to the UK), and of my teeth (when I had braces)
[Y is for yummy food you make]: I can't cook that well, but I do whip up mean soups :p
[Z is for zodiac sign]: Gemini

Hmm ... let's see, who to tag? Okely dokely ... Bea, Truebluepenangite, Kleio and Jemima (Jem, I know memes don't go with the flow of your blog, so up to you lah, if you wanna do it :p)

Jom Pi Karaoke!

Karaoke at Redbox during the weekend was pretty awesome. Went with a group of colleagues (yeah, it's not enough that I have to see them 5 days a week; I'm hounded by their presence during the weekend too. Okay, okay, KIDDING! *runs away and hide lest I kena egged*), to celebrate an ex-colleague's farewell, and a colleague's 'be-earlied' birthday.

Oh how I missed karaoke. I was a real karaoke kaki a few years ago, but for some reason, we never did organise another session, till last weekend. A few things I noticed:

• Somehow, "Always" by Bon Jovi and "I don't wanna miss a thing" by Aerosmith's ALWAYS sung during karaokes (best way to come out with a hoarse throat, and no voice the next day)

• There's always more noise than actual singing - WOOT!

• Everything's freakin' overpriced at Redbox (naturally)

My favourite song to sing during a karaoke session's always "Stuck" by Stacie Orrico. That song is bloody fast to sing (and difficult too), but it's real rockin'. Too bad the MTV yesterday didn't have the lyrics (what lah, karaoke tadak lyrics, how can??), I felt somehow cheated :P

Can't wait for our next singing session. Karaoke anyone?

PS: Due to *ahem* privacy issues, no photos of the session will be posted here. Well, our open-mouths ain't too purdy to start off with anyway :P

Social Network Sites: Boon Or Bane?

How many social network sites do you see and/or know on the Internet? Let's see, we have MySpace, Friendster, Multiply, Bebo, etc etc. For some reason, Malaysians favour Friendster to the very-popular MySpace, which is used by many Americans. Well, most of the Malaysians I know anyway.

Have you noticed that although many Malaysians are members of Friendster, you don't often hear of stories of online predators who prey on young girls over that particular social network? For Malaysians, I mean. The news boomed of stories of paedophiles, preying on young girls and boys over MySpace, and unfortunately, it's a growing problem, all right. Do the statistics show that Malaysians are a more careful lot? I don't think so. I reckon Malaysians are becoming more wary of the 'baddies' out there, but that doesn't mean we're safe, no sirree.

I'm pretty wary of these social networks, although I do use Friendster to keep in touch with my friends. I only allow my contacts to view my personal details (as such, I do not reveal more than it is necessary) and photos. I do not discount the usefulness of such networks; it's a great way to keep in touch with your friends, especially those whom you haven't seen in ages. But there are certain things which I find pretty distasteful, and sometimes downright ridiculous about some of the users of such sites. I only use Friendster (my Multiply's only accessed sporadically), so I'll just give you my two cents on that.

Let's do some mental calculations now, shall we? How many friends do you have? Go ahead and include your acquaintances too. A hundred? Two hundred maybe? Not too bad, right? No prizes for guessing why I find people with 900++ friends amusing. Seriously, do you even know HALF of the people whom you added to your friends list? I mean, really KNOW them? Sometimes I think it's more of a popularity contest than anything else. I have more friends, hence I'm so much more popular than you are. Gimme a break. I have less than a hundred people added to my list, and about 20% of them are close friends. Yeah, go ahead and tell me that I'm just being sour as I do not have as many friends in my list, and I'll ask you to grow up.

Now the male population is probably going to hentam me for this (oh it's gonna be good), but boys, do check your list of friends. More girls than boys, I reckon? Not going to say much about that; it's only natural you'd want to add the lovelies into your list to show your mates. But what I cannot tahan is that a lot of the guys with the 900++ 'friends', 99% of them are females, and VERY sexy females at that. Lots of skin, lots of impressed cleavage. Wowee. Respect, brothers! *roll eyes*

What about those frequent Friendster messages and requests you get from strangers, inviting you to add them as your 'friend'? I've had a few requests, and I clearly remembered one of them using a LOT of terms of endearment, calling me "dear", "sayang", giving me plenty of "hugs", in his message. That particular message made me laugh, as I found it so funny (and scary ... bulu roma naik, man!) that he'd call me all that, when he doesn't even know me.

Don't get me wrong, Friendster (and the rest of the social network sites) is a great place to meet new people (the right ones, that is, but then again, it's to your discretion on who's right or wrong for you), keep in touch with old friends, etc. I especially enjoy viewing photographs of friends who have been to different places, different countries, just to let us know what they've been up to.

But do be careful of the people whom you add as a friend (the ones whom you do not personally know), especially if you do plan to actually meet up one day. And for goodness' sake, it's not a popularity contest. A thousand friends, for real? Are you freakin' kidding me?

Do You Have A Dirty Mind?

Your Mind is PG-13 Rated

Your mind is definitely a little dirty. You're naughty, but not trashy. You don't shy away from a dirty joke, and you're clearly not a prude.

Do You Have a Dirty Mind?

Drats. And I thought mine was absolutely filthy.

Go on. What's yours? ;)

I Want Me A Macbook!

A conversation between Tim and I last night. We were chatting about the types of perfume I like, and somehow it got to this.

Me: Dear, there's no need for you to buy me any more perfume, as I already have too many bottles. Waste money nia.

Tim: Ok lor. What do you want me to get you then?

Me: Anything also can.

Tim: Ahh ... I bet you've been thinking quite a bit about your engagement ring, right? (I haven't gotten one yet, by the way)

Me: Actually no woh. I've been thinking of the Macbook for quite some time now. It's simply GORGEOUS.

Tim: Huh? So strange one.

Me: Dear, is there such a thing as an engagement laptop ah?

Tim: ...

This is what happens when you wanna marry a tech-freak nerd. What diamond ring, OMG, have you even SEEN the beautiful, drool-worthy notebook?

I reckon asking for a ring AND a laptop would be a tad OTT. Shucks.

Slow Afternoon

This is what a very sloooow afternoon at the office can do to you.

Two pieces of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Siong, man. How many inches do those two pieces of evil goodies put to your waist?

Damn you chocolates for tasting so good!

Grrrr.

PS: By the way, the Bliss yogurt cup you see in the picture's my pencil holder. At the office. Kesian or not, you say?

Bloggers I'd Like To Meet

Paris tagged me a while back, but have only gotten round to it now as I ... err ... forgot about it :p

Hmm ... I've never thought of meeting new friends when it comes to blogging as I jumped onto the bandwagon just for a bit of fun. It was only after I started making my blog public did I begin to have a steady stream of readers, which I'm grateful for.

Someone once told me "Aiyo, you damn nerdy lah, next thing you know, you'll be going to all those blogger meets, etc". Err ... blogger meets are nerdy meh? Well, I haven't been to any just yet, but I reckon it would be fun. Didn't your teacher tell you it's always good to make new friends? ;)

Anyhoos, here goes nothing:

1) Who was the first blogger you met?
None just yet.

2) Who is the ‘Most wanted to meet blogger?’ for you?
Ahhh ... this is going to be interesting. There isn't just the one blogger whom I'd like to meet; I'd like to meet as many readers as I can!

First on my list would be Paris, 'cos she's my very first reader whom I do not personally know (of course, would definitely like to know her further, and ... err ... kaypo what she does for a living. Tee hee hee!). I'd like to meet Jemima too, 'cos she's real sweet. Next on my list is Merv, whose bus stories have intrigued me to no end (funny lah that fella). Too bad Jay's like a million miles away, 'cos I wanna see what he looks like!

3) Who is the ‘I can meet, want to meet but somehow never got to meet’ blogger?
None just yet.

4) Who are the group of bloggers you most wanted to meet?
Somehow the term 'group of bloggers' remind me of Star Wars/Star Trek fans who meet up at sci-fi conventions :P I'd agree with Paris, I'd like to meet with our country's beauty bloggers.

5) Do you have any bloggers/blog readers that you wish to meet right now?
There are more, but I'd like to meet up with those in Q2 first.

6) Who do I tag next?
You guys decide lah, if you wanna do this. Me lazy :p

Random Thoughts Of The Day

From the past couple of entries, guess you can tell I've not been feeling all peaches and cream. Real glad to have my fiance to talk to about my problems; at least there's a place to unload, and it's even better that he's been real understanding about me (thanks babes). Also thanks to Bea, who texted me and understood what I was going through too. Thanks girl.

*******

Gotta stop the emotional posts; damn, I'm starting to depress myself (and everyone else, no doubt).

*****

Is it weird that I'm listening to Christmas songs at the office during this time of the year? Yeah? Okay.

*****

Looking forward to going to Japan, but too bad don't have enough time to shop. Drats.

*****

Need to save money. Stop thinking about shopping.

*****

Collected my new pair of glasses yesterday (no choice, had to buy, as the previous one snapped into two. And no, I did NOT sit my big ass on it). Nice pair of rimless ones. The nose pads are cutting into my skin though. Gah.

*****

In dire need of a pedicure and hair treatment, no thanks to cracked heels and dead-grass hair.

*****

Hmmm ... what to eat for lunch?

It Turns Out, You Do Not Want Anything

This song brings back a lot of bittersweet memories for me. I remembered shedding of tears, unanswered questions and confused moments.

It's been a while since I've listened to this song; I came across it in my iTunes the other day. I thought I'd share it with you. It's an old favourite of mine.

I agree with the singer (A-mei) when she sang "what woman isn't selfish nor hopeful in love?"

原來你什麼都不要

我知道這樣不好
也知道你的愛只能那麼少
我只有不停的要　要到你想逃

淚濕的枕頭晒乾就好
眼淚在你的心裡只是無理取鬧
以為在你身後　是我一輩子的驕傲
原來你什麼都不想要

我不要你的呵護　你的玫瑰
只要你好好久久愛我一遍
就算虛榮也好　貪心也好
哪個女人對愛不自私　不奢望

我不要你的承諾　不要你的永遠
只要你真真切切愛我一遍
就算虛榮也好　貪心也好
最怕你把沉默　當做對我的回答

我不要你的承諾　不要你的永遠
只要你好好久久愛我一遍
就算虛榮也好　貪心也好
哪個女人對愛不自私　不奢望

原來你什麼都不想要
- 張惠妹/阿妹

Translation:
I know it's not good like this
I also know that your love can only be so little
I only have unending desires, desires that make you want to escape

It's good if a pillow soaked by tears can be dried
But in your heart, tears are only irrational and cause quarrels
I had thought that being behind you would be my whole life's pride
It turns out, you don't want anything

I don't want your protection, I don't want your rose
I just want you to love me well for a long time, one time
Even if it's in vain, it's okay; even if it's greedy, it's okay
What woman isn't selfish in love, nor hopeful?

I don't want your promise, I don't want your forever
I just want you to truly love me, one time
Even if it's in vain, it's okay; even if it's greedy, it's okay
I'm most afraid that you will use silence as your answer to me

I don't want your promise, I don't want your forever
I just want you to love me well for a long time, one time
Even if it's in vain, it's okay; even if it's greedy, it's okay
What woman isn't selfish in love, nor hopeful?

It turns out, you don't want anything

Click here to listen.

This Too Shall Pass

This is dedicated to a friend who's going through a bit of a rough patch now (you know who you are):

Whatever happens
Hold on to these thoughts ...
You are stronger than you imagine
Braver than you know
And cared about so much
More than words could tell
I'm here for you always.

This too shall pass, my dear friend.

So Many Questions

Many times I wonder if our past sins will come back to haunt us and bite us in the ass. Would it be better if our past relationships stay in the past? What if he/she is not happy that the other one has moved on (even though we were the wronged party)? Then what?

Is it wrong to cut that other person out of your life for good? Where do we draw the line with that someone who was such a significant figure in our lives?

So many questions, yet I have not the answers for any of them. Life does not move on the way you want it to, when you face such questions every single day.

It's frustrating.

Adding Labels To Posts

I'm thinking of adding labels to my posts. Methinks it's going to be easier categorising my entries, makes archive-reading more flexible. But man, with a little over 300 previous posts to label, it's going to be a bummer. Thinking of proper labels is a headache too.

Gah. It'd be so much easier if Blogger had this feature from the very beginning. What lah.

Cellnique's Pro Sebum Gel - An Updated Review

Thought I'd post an update from a previous entry, on Cellnique's Pro Sebum Gel. Well, I wouldn't consider that entry an actual review, as I only just bought it then, and since I only used it for a couple of days, a review wouldn't be justified. I've also received emails (thanks!) requesting I let 'em know if the product was any good.

Let's recap, shall we? The product claimed that with by using the daily maintenance gel, it'll slow oil secretion down, leaving skin clear, thus producing smooth visible results in 10 pain-free days.

The label indicated that I should apply the gel on affected skin area, but I slathered it evenly all over my face. Dunno if I'm supposed to do that, but hey, I'm Asian. I follow the Cantonese saying "sek tak mou sai" (literally, "if it can be eaten, then don't waste it) to the letter.

It's a little over 10 days now, and I have to say that I am pretty satisfied with the product. My blackheads were significantly lightened. I can't say they've all disappeared, 'cos despite what Cellnique claims, unless you do an actual extraction, you can't remove all of them. Also, I have not had problems with whiteheads since I started using the Pro Sebum Gel. The nose area is not as oily as before, thus allowing my makeup to last a little longer.

You will feel a tightening sensation on the face a few seconds after you apply it; some might like this, some might not (you might find your skin feeling a tad dry). I had no problems with this ... well, so far anyway.

Kesimpulannya, I'm definitely happy with this product, and will buy it when it's finished. I'm not sure how long a bottle will last me though; I reckon it should last about 2 to 3 months. I'd recommend this to people with oily or combination skin.

This is not a sponsored post.

Huge Software Sale

The heights of software piracy has reached such a recognisable level:

That picture would be the total reverse of my dad and I. I'd tell him I need to buy new software for my notebook (well, they're not exactly all that *ahem* legal, but you know what I mean). His answer?

"Aiyo ... buy?? Waste money nia. Come, I download for you".

Shucks. Well, that's Daddy for ya.

PS: What did you think this entry was going to be? Perhaps a notice to tell you where to buy very cheap software? Download lah. Hehehe :p

Off To Japan Soon

Received an email from my Japanese counterpart, requesting that I return to Japan to clear out my apartment. If you've been following this blog from day 1, you'll know that I have living in this really kickass 1-bedroom apartment during my training period in Japan, for a year. This is possibly the last time I'll be going to Japan, which is quite sad.

Japan holds a lot of bittersweet memories for me. More bitter than sweet, but memories are memories; without them, I am but an empty shell with no past. I've gone through good times, I've gone through bad; at the end of the day, it's not easy leaving for good. Also, there's no way I can travel to Japan on a holiday if it isn't paid for, as everyone knows how expensive the standard of living is in Japan.

Anyways, I've submitted a brief schedule to my Japanese counterpart, requesting to be there on the 25th of this month. I have yet to hear from her, but I don't think there's going to be a problem. This time, I'd only be there for 5 days, contrary to my previous much-longer stays. The main objective of my trip is to pack up all my things, clean and clear out of the apartment.

Throughout the year I was in Japan, I accumulated a LOT of stuff. I left a lot of clothes at the apartment, a lot of small items, books, gifts etc. It's going to take me at least a day to pack all of 'em into boxes (unfortunately, I'm only allowed up to 60kg of stuff - yeah, I have THAT much shit). Cleaning's not going to be easy either; the apartment's not been lived in since June 2006! I can imagine inch-thick dust everywhere, cobwebs, and disgusting insects here and there *shudder*.

A few items will also be returned to their respective owners. My Japanese trainers and friends were very kind in lending me a bicycle, kotatsu (heated low table) and refridgerator for my stay. It's time these items return to their owners. Hmm, this reminds me, I have to get started on looking out for thank-you gifts for them.

Does anyone want anything from Japan? Bear in mind, I only have 3 full days in Japan, and wouldn't have much time for shopping and such, as I'll be pretty busy, but I'll try my best.

International Women's Day

Celebrated on 8 March, International Women's Day (IWD) is the global day connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential. IWD celebrates the collective power of women past, present and future.

Chee muis-chee muis sekalian, unite! We so kick ass and we know it.

Happy International Women's Day, y'all. Don't feel bad, all y'all men. Am sure your day will come too :P

PS: This also marks my 300th post. Not too bad, if I may say so myself. Ahem :P

Amazing Knitting

There's your usual grandma's-sweater-and-scarf knitting, and then, amazingly, there's this.

I must say, I was stunned at the detail and effort put in here. Kinda makes me ashamed oh how I complained about how difficult it was to knit a simple scarf. At the end of the day, I suppose it all comes down to whether you have the interest or not, eh? Definitely not for such a lazy bugger like me. Hehe.

You can view more of this knitter's creations here.

Two Sickies

Have been struck with high fever for the past couple of days. Gave Mum quite a scare; she thought I had dengue fever. My brother had it once, and it certainly wasn't a pretty sight.

Anyways, I've been so drugged up; I could hardly get out of bed. At least a few good things came out of it - I lost a teeny bit of weight (yes!!), I don't have dengue (well, since I'm feeling a lot better now, I reckon I don't have it lah), and I was away from the office for two days.

I should be up and running by tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

15th Day of CNY

Today marks the 15th day of Chinese New Year, which also signifies the end of the festive season. How time flies, huh? Seems like so many things have happened, all at once. How I'd like to just take a step back from it all, and just relax, to take it easy.

Happy Chap Goh Meh, folks. Don't throw out too many kums now. Save some for me, hehe.

PS: I'm stuck at home, nursing a really bad cold. Gah.

Blogger Spam Verification

This post was drafted four days ago, and could only be posted today.

I've been having problems posting entries on Blogger for the past few days. When I clicked on 'Create Post', I was greeted with this 'lovely' message.

Huh? Spam-prevention robots? I clicked for more.

According to Blogger,

The ease of creating and updating webpages with Blogger has made it particularly prone to a form of behaviour known as link spamming. Blogs engaged in this behaviour are called spam blogs, and can be recognized by their irrelevant, repetitive, or nonsensical text, along with a large number of links, usually all pointing to a single site.

What the ... ?? My blog has characteristics of a spam blog?! What a load of nonsense. Man, I've seen a lot of crap with hundreds of links and ads here and there, but these sites are still there on the Internet. Of course, this could just be some random check by the bots, so till the humans check out my blog (oh yeah, they call it human verification; you know how 'efficient' that can be), I can't post jack.

I wonder if anyone else is facing the same problem. I'm not too bothered for not being able to post anything (heck I could do with the break), but I'm just tired of always facing problems with Blogger. Hmm ... it could be a sign that it's time I get my domain.

Now THAT, folks, is a very interesting notion.

Shopaholic And Baby

Finally, the wait is over.

Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic and Baby is out for sale!

I'm a HUGE fan of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series. Others might think it's frivolous, shallow even, but the way the author formed the character, no matter how irritating she can be at times, made the books a very good and relaxing read. I reckon I've read all her books over 10 times now.

I'm SO going to the bookstore this weekend and snaggin' meself a copy.

UPDATE: Read it already. So-so nia.